January 4, 2022
Indonesia cuts isolation period for citizens returning from abroad + Java-Bali PPKM extended for 2 weeks + 11 Hotel staff tested after Surabayan tourist Omicron case + more
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The Big News
“Indonesia Cuts Isolation Period for Citizens Returning From Abroad” from Antara: The Indonesian government has shortened the quarantine period for Indonesian citizens returning from abroad, including those arriving from countries with a high number of Omicron cases. Earlier, international travelers from countries with high Omicron cases had to undergo 14-day isolation, while people arriving from other countries were prescribed a 10-day quarantine. "It has been decided that the 14-day quarantine will be shortened to 10 days, while the 10-day quarantine will be cut to 7 days," Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, said on Monday. He also emphasized that the government will not give dispensation to international travelers and strictly refer to the rules promulgated by the Instructions of the Home Affairs Minister.
Context: This development follows on from headlines yesterday stating quarantine was to be extended (Indonesian) for some returning citizens. In related news, President Jokowi stated there should be no exceptions to quarantine for foreign arrivals, with other stories reporting he was particularly annoyed with celebrities and politicians dodging quarantine.
“Java-Bali PPKM Extended for 2 Weeks” from Detik (Indonesian): The government has extended the implementation of PPKM in Java-Bali. "It has been extended by two weeks," said the Director General of Adwil at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Safrizal ZA, on Monday. The previous extension of the Java-Bali PPKM officially ended on January 3, now the PPKM in Java-Bali will be valid for two weeks, from January 4-17. There has been no further explanation regarding the status of PPKM areas in Java-Bali. The decision will be stated in the Instruction of the Minister of Home Affairs. The same decision applies to PPKM outside Java and Bali.
“11 Hotel Staff Tested After Surabayan Guests Get Omicron” from Antara: At least 11 hotel employees in Bali who were close contacts of Surabayan tourists exposed to the Omicron variant have undergone PCR swab tests on Monday, an official said. "Today, 11 hotel staff who were their close contacts were tested by (PCR) swab," head of Bali Health Office, Dr. Ketut Suarjaya, said on Monday. According to Suarjaya, based on contact tracing of the Surabayan tourists, their interaction with others during their stay in Bali was minimal because they occupied a villa equipped with a private swimming pool and other facilities.
Context: Other media are reporting that according to the villa, the Surabayan tourist checked in from December 11 to 15, while the East Java Health Office is stating that their vacation was from December 20 to 25 and that the tourists always used the PeduliLindungi app, testing positive for Covid in Surabaya on December 28. Despite PeduliLindungi recording dates, no explanation has been given for the contradictory dates (Indonesian), though some officials are using the earlier dates to suggest the infection may not have happened in Bali (Indonesian). Other coverage is suggesting the tourist is 64 or 58 years old and stayed at a villa in the Sawangan area of Nusa Dua (Indonesian), though despite police requests for potential contacts to come forward, the villa complex/hotel is yet to be named. Bali’s Deputy Governor has suggested people should follow health protocols and pray for the epidemic to disappear soon (Indonesian).
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Other Headlines
“To Beautify Samigita Beach, Badung Prepares IDR 263 Billion Loan Fund” from Radar Bali (Indonesian): The Badung Regency Government received a loan of funds from the National Economic Recovery Fund amounting to IDR 263 billion which are planned to be used for the beautification of Seminyak, Legian, Kuta (Samigita) Beaches. Head of the Badung Public Works and Spatial Planning Agency Ida Bagus Surya Suamba admitted that the project plan had been socialized to beach managers. He said the work will begin in mid-2022. "From January to February 2022, we will conduct a tender process. Later, those who win the tender will carry out the arrangement," he said. Furthermore, there are several arrangements that will be made, such as walkways, installation of lighting, parking lots, playgrounds, toilets, and tsunami shelter buildings.
Vaccination Update
“Indonesia to Start Vaccine Booster Rollout on Jan. 12” from The Jakarta Globe: Indonesia will start rolling out Covid-19 vaccine booster shots for adults aged over 18 years old on Jan. 12. “The president has decided that the booster vaccination program will start on January 12. We will give the [boosters] to adults aged over 18 years old, in accordance with the WHO’s recommendation,” Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Monday. An individual can get their booster jab six months after their second dose. At least 21 million people are eligible to get the booster, according to Budi. A district or city can administer booster shots only if its first and second dose vaccination rates have reached at least 70 and 60% respectively.
More...
Nation: “Seven Provinces Yet to Achieve 70% for First Vaccine Dose” from Antara
Nation: “Around 180,000 Covid Vaccines Close to Expiry in West Java” from Antara
Nation: “Around 58% Students Have Taken First Covid Shot” from Antara
Nation: “Indonesia Tops 281 Million Covid-19 Vaccine Doses” from The Jakarta Globe
Health Protocols (Prokes) & Health Services
“Covid Task Force Threatens to Revoke Hotel Permits That Don't Use PeduliLindungi” from Radar Bali (Indonesian): The surveillance carried out by the Buleleng Covid-19 Task Force has proven that even hotels have not complied with the QR Code PeduliLindungi. If this continues, the Buleleng Covid-19 Task Force has threatened to revoke hotel's permits. This was stated by the Secretary of the Buleleng Covid-19 Task Force I Gede Suyasa when conducting surveillance at a number of tourist accommodation locations and public facilities on Friday. From the task force's observation, the use of the application was not maximized and the task force gave verbal warnings to accommodation managers.
More...
Nation: “Fifteen Medical Officers of Soekarno-Hatta Airport Allegedly Exposed to Omicron” from Tempo
Nation: “Hope Merger Will Not Compromise Eijkman's Scientific Integrity” from Antara
Economy & Infrastructure
“Domestic Air Passengers Up 19% in November 2021” from Tempo: Statistics Indonesia recorded domestic air passengers in November 2021 reached 3.5 million, up by 19.81% from the previous month. “Increased passengers took place at all monitored airports,” said BPS Head Margo Yuwono on Monday. Medan’s Kualanamu Airport posted an increase of 23.26%, Denpasar’s Ngurah Rai Airport with 21.92%, Surabaya’s Juanda Airport with 20.43%, Banten’s Soekarno-Hatta Airport with 18.28%, and Makassar’s Hassanudin Airport with 14.72%. The highest number of passengers was recorded at Soekarno-Hatta Airport with 975,000 people or 29.90% of the total domestic passengers, followed by Juanda Airport with 278,000 or 7.98%.
More...
Nation: “Coal Export Ban Will Not Impact State Revenues” from Antara
Nation: “Year-end Holidaymakers Give Boost to Economy, Tourism” from Antara
Nation: “KAI Served 160,926 Long-haul Passengers During New Year Holiday Period” from Antara
Education
“House Speaker Seeks Evaluation of Face-to-face Learning Policy” from Antara: House of Representatives Speaker Puan Maharani has called for an evaluation of the implementation of 100% face-to-face learning until vaccinations for children can be realized more equally. This step has to be taken especially since a new COVID-19 variant, the Omicron, has emerged, she said on Monday. Maharani asked the government to consider the advice of experts, who believe that 100% face-to-face learning should not be carried out at the moment. "Not every school has the adequate facilities and infrastructure to support 100% face-to-face learning," she said.
Context: Other media reports focused on students being happy to be back to school.
Bali Reopening
“Foreign Tourist Arrivals Up 3.06% in Nov 2021” from Antara: Foreign tourist arrivals rose by 3.06% to reach 153,200 in November 2021 from 151,000 the previous month, Statistics Indonesia has reported. "When compared to November 2020, the graphs coincide, meaning that there has been no significant increase compared to last year," BPS head Margo Yuwono said on Monday. There was an increase of 6.04% in the number of foreign tourist visits in November 2021 compared to November 2020, he noted. Of the total tourists arriving in Indonesia in November 2021, 19,910 foreign tourists used air transportation, 33,630 used sea transportation, and 99,660 used land transportation, he said.
Context: While the BPS are yet to update their website for November (Indonesian), the vast majority of the land entrances are via “Other entry points” with the common entry points of Jayapura (Papua), Atambua (West Timor), Enkitong, Aruk and Nanga Badau (all in West Kalimantan) attracting total entries of mostly under one hundred per month. As such, it is not clear where the almost 100,000 people entered Indonesia in November. As of early December last year, 153 people had applied for a tourist visa for Indonesia, so it appears BPS is not using visa type to designate arrivals as a tourist.
More...
“Tourism Actors Wait for Governor Koster to Struggle for Foreigners to Enter Bali” from Tribun Bali (Indonesian)
Of Interest
“The Peak of the 2022 Bau Nyale Tradition Decided This Week” from Republika (Indonesian)
“The Stock of Hatchlings at Yeh Gangga Beach Is Running Low” from Nusa Bali (Indonesian)
“The Abandonment Case of Dozens of Rinjani Climbers is Settled Peacefully” from Republika (Indonesian)
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How You Can Help Bali
Due to the collapse of the tourism sector in Bali, tens of thousands of families have found themselves with a greatly reduced income—if any. If you’d like to support organizations working to help those in need, you can see a list of some here.
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